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Gladiators step up to Division 1

Walter H. Reiterer

The CNC Gladiators beat, as the Division 2 champs, the Vienna Knights 36-13 in the relegation match, promoting themselves back to Austrian Division 1 for next year.

In the Division 2 final, also known as the Iron Bowl, the Gladiators faced the former Austrian Football League team, the LA Titans or the AFC Rangers from South Vienna / Lower Austria.

The two teams met twice this year and parted with a home victory by each team.

The Iron Bowl was close for three quarters, both teams scored once, before the Gladiators managed to get away with a 24-7 victory, getting two touchdowns from Bernhard Kamber and Rene Muhr and a field goal from Manuel Houtz in the final quarter.

The championship was also the qualification for a relegation game against the Vienna Knights, last of the Division 1 this year. The Gladiators fell behind early, facing a 13 point deficit at halftime.

But just like the Iron Bowl, a completely different team showed up in the second half, which was, along with a splashy performance by their 17-year old running back, Stefan Probst, enough for a convincing win in the end.

Probst scored four rushing touchdowns and put the ball on the 1 yard line, with a long breakaway, before his team's fifth score, undoubtedly earning the honor of the game's best player. The Gladiators will be counting more on Probst during the CEFL's fall season.